PANTHERS NOTEBOOK: Benjamin dispels post-Steve Smith woes

Carolina Panthers’ Kelvin Benjamin hauls in a pass during training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., Tuesday. Benjamin, the 28th overall draft pick, has impressed his teammates so far during practice.

Associated Press

By Eric Boynton/Halifax Media Services

Published: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at 11:25 PM.

Anyone who has gotten to watch Carolina rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin on a daily basis over nearly two weeks of training camp has undoubtedly come away impressed with the first-rounder.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Florida State product has snared just about everything thrown his way and the instant chemistry he’s shown with quarterback Cam Newton is making the absence of departed all-time franchise receiver Steve Smith much easier to digest.
Benjamin, the draft’s 28th overall selection, finally gets the chance to show his stuff in game situations during Friday’s preseason opener with the Bills, a team that traded a whole lot to move up five spots to draft Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins at fourth overall.
The perceived gap on draft day between Watkins and everyone else at his position was considerable, but Benjamin has made believers out of his teammates. Veteran linebacker Chase Blackburn expects there to be little difference between the two talented pass-catchers once the season starts.
“You look at Kelvin and how he works on that practice field,” Blackburn said. “If he can do what he does in practice in the games, adapt it and take that same kind of control on the field during game situations, he’s going to be tough, and he’s going to help our team tremendously. But, obviously, we have our hands full with Watkins this week. He didn’t have a catch last week so they’re going to target him and try to get him the ball and we have to do our best to stop it.”
Buffalo gave Cleveland the ninth overall pick in May’s draft in addition to first and fourth-round selections next year to move up and take Watkins, a 6-foot-1, 212-pounder who had 101 receptions for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Benjamin caught 54 passes for 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the game-winner in the national championship victory over Auburn.
Panthers rookie receiver Philly Brown, who played in Ohio State’s Orange Bowl loss to Clemson in January when Watkins caught 16 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, says it’s hard to compare him to Benjamin because the two play the position with such varied approaches.
“They’re two completely different players,” Brown said. “Kelvin is more of a big-bodied receiver that boxes you out, a big red-zone receiver. But one of Calvin’s most underrated traits is he’s actually a really good route runner and people don’t really see that in his game because he didn’t get a chance to showcase it that much in college.
“Sammy is more of a speedster guy, kind of doing all the speed stuff. No. (I don’t think there’s much of a gap between the two.) I think Kelvin is as good as anybody. He has the skill-set if he keeps working to be as good as anybody.”
NOT FOR EVERYBODY — Veteran tight end Greg Olsen has a body type similar to Benjamin at 6-foot-5, 253 pounds, but of course, with a few years on the rookie and with the nature of his position, he certainly has a thicker frame. Olsen was asked if Benjamin could move inside to the tight end spot.
“I don’t know, different ballgame down there, now,” Olsen said. “Everyone thinks tight ends just run around, but you go block (Carolina defensive end) Charles Johnson a few times and see if you want to stay down there. It’s not for everybody.”
THE RIGHT FIT — Derek Anderson is entering his fourth season as the Panthers primary backup to quarterback Cam Newton after the two arrived in Carolina for the 2011 season. Anderson has played in just eight games and attempted four passes over that span after having previously started 43 games with Cleveland and Arizona. He earned a 2007 Pro Bowl spot with the Browns when he threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The 31-year-old acknowledged he’d spoken with other teams this past offseason before deciding to stay in Carolina.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t, obviously there were some other things out there,” Anderson said. “But I’m very happy here, my wife loves it, and we have a (baby) coming at any time. I enjoy it here so why go somewhere else and have to learn a bunch of new teammates. We had some talks with some other places, but we’re winning football games here and I want to win games, I want to win a Super Bowl, and at this point in my career that’s really what it’s about.”

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Anyone who has gotten to watch Carolina rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin on a daily basis over nearly two weeks of training camp has undoubtedly come away impressed with the first-rounder.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Florida State product has snared just about everything thrown his way and the instant chemistry he’s shown with quarterback Cam Newton is making the absence of departed all-time franchise receiver Steve Smith much easier to digest.
Benjamin, the draft’s 28th overall selection, finally gets the chance to show his stuff in game situations during Friday’s preseason opener with the Bills, a team that traded a whole lot to move up five spots to draft Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins at fourth overall.
The perceived gap on draft day between Watkins and everyone else at his position was considerable, but Benjamin has made believers out of his teammates. Veteran linebacker Chase Blackburn expects there to be little difference between the two talented pass-catchers once the season starts.
“You look at Kelvin and how he works on that practice field,” Blackburn said. “If he can do what he does in practice in the games, adapt it and take that same kind of control on the field during game situations, he’s going to be tough, and he’s going to help our team tremendously. But, obviously, we have our hands full with Watkins this week. He didn’t have a catch last week so they’re going to target him and try to get him the ball and we have to do our best to stop it.”
Buffalo gave Cleveland the ninth overall pick in May’s draft in addition to first and fourth-round selections next year to move up and take Watkins, a 6-foot-1, 212-pounder who had 101 receptions for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Benjamin caught 54 passes for 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the game-winner in the national championship victory over Auburn.
Panthers rookie receiver Philly Brown, who played in Ohio State’s Orange Bowl loss to Clemson in January when Watkins caught 16 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, says it’s hard to compare him to Benjamin because the two play the position with such varied approaches.
“They’re two completely different players,” Brown said. “Kelvin is more of a big-bodied receiver that boxes you out, a big red-zone receiver. But one of Calvin’s most underrated traits is he’s actually a really good route runner and people don’t really see that in his game because he didn’t get a chance to showcase it that much in college.
“Sammy is more of a speedster guy, kind of doing all the speed stuff. No. (I don’t think there’s much of a gap between the two.) I think Kelvin is as good as anybody. He has the skill-set if he keeps working to be as good as anybody.”
NOT FOR EVERYBODY — Veteran tight end Greg Olsen has a body type similar to Benjamin at 6-foot-5, 253 pounds, but of course, with a few years on the rookie and with the nature of his position, he certainly has a thicker frame. Olsen was asked if Benjamin could move inside to the tight end spot.
“I don’t know, different ballgame down there, now,” Olsen said. “Everyone thinks tight ends just run around, but you go block (Carolina defensive end) Charles Johnson a few times and see if you want to stay down there. It’s not for everybody.”
THE RIGHT FIT — Derek Anderson is entering his fourth season as the Panthers primary backup to quarterback Cam Newton after the two arrived in Carolina for the 2011 season. Anderson has played in just eight games and attempted four passes over that span after having previously started 43 games with Cleveland and Arizona. He earned a 2007 Pro Bowl spot with the Browns when he threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The 31-year-old acknowledged he’d spoken with other teams this past offseason before deciding to stay in Carolina.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t, obviously there were some other things out there,” Anderson said. “But I’m very happy here, my wife loves it, and we have a (baby) coming at any time. I enjoy it here so why go somewhere else and have to learn a bunch of new teammates. We had some talks with some other places, but we’re winning football games here and I want to win games, I want to win a Super Bowl, and at this point in my career that’s really what it’s about.”